New Horizons Report

Might as well get this done before Thanksgiving...

There's an App for that: Mobile Devices in the Classroom

The biggest problem I see with the increased use of cell phones in the classroom is affordability. Perhaps as the years pass devices like the iPhone will become less expensive, but at the moment it's completely unrealistic. Even if they become significantly cheaper, not every student has a cell phone, though it may seem like it sometimes. In addition, there are other alternative technologies students can use to perform the same function. The article suggests students use phones to take pictures of the stages of an experiment when a flip camera will do just as well. Lastly, cell phones are primarily communication devices: we text, e-mail, and talk to one another with them. My concern is that increased use of mobile devices in the classroom will be a distraction. You may want your students to use an application for math review, but it will be difficult to monitor that they are actually playing an educational game and not a different one.

Online Communication Tools
This particular technology was my personal favorite. When I got my Mac in June, one of the first things I loved about it was video and audio chat, because it gave me an opportunity to hear and see my friends via IM. Programs like Skype, Twitter, and IM programs allow for direct and indirect (synchronous and asynchronous communication) between people all over the world. Students in a government class could have a video chat with an elected representative in either state or federal assemblies. For history, a class could collaborate with one in another city, state, or country and a discussion board could be set up for students, allowing them to share and hear diverse opinions on different topics in history. These technologies allow for trans global communication and has the potential to increase knowledge of the social studies and different cultures.